AZALEAS 



355 



III tliis country auriculas are usually i)r()pa,gated by seed, as for 

 cineraria; ])ut special varieties are ijerpeluated by offsets. Seeds 

 sown in February or ]\Iarch should give blooming plants for the next 

 February or ^larch. Keep the plants cool and moist, and away from 

 the direct sun during the summer. Gardeners usually grow them in 

 frames. In the fall, they are potted into 3-in. or 4-in. pots, and 

 made to bloom either in frames as for violets or in a cool conservatory 

 or greenhouse. In April, after blooming has ceased, repot the plants 

 and treat as the previous year. As with most annual-blooming peren- 

 nials, best results are to be expected with year-old or two-year-old 

 plants. Auriculas grow 6-S i)i. high. Colors white and many shades 

 of red and blue. 



Azaleas are excellent outdoor and greenhouse shrubs, and are some- 

 times seen in windows. They are less grown in this country than in 

 Europe, largely because of our hot, dry summers and severe winters. 



There are two common types or classes of azaleas : the hardy or 

 Ghent azaleas, and the Indian azaleas. The latter are the familiar 

 large-flowered azaleas of conservatories and window-gardens. 



Ghent azaleas thrive in the open along the seacoast as far north 

 as southern Xew England. They require a sandy peaty soil, but are 

 treated as other shrubs are. The large flower-buds are liable to injury 

 from the warm suns of late winter and early spring, and to aA'oid this 

 injury the jDlants are often protected by covers or shades of brush. In 

 the interior country, little attempt is made to flower azaleas perma- 

 nently in the open, although they may be grown if carefully tended 

 and well protected. 



Both Ghent and Indian azaleas are excellent pot-plants for bloom 

 in late winter and sj^ring. The plants are imported in great numbers 

 from Europe in fall, and it is better to buy these plants than to attempt 

 to propagate them. Pot them up in large-sized pots, keep them cool 

 and backward for a time until they are established, then take them into 

 a conservatory temperature in which carnations and roses thrive. 

 They should be potted in a soil of half peat or well-decayed mold and 

 half rich loam; add a little sand. Pot firmly, and be sure to provide 

 sufficient drainage. Keep off red spider by syringing. 



After blooming, the plants may be thinned by pruning out the 



